Debrief Info for Families

Debrief Info for Families

The following pages are provided to resource you in receiving your students back home. Some of the information is directed to the family members and other parts of this information is directed to the students. We suggest that you print out these pages and re-read them several times to help you feel better equipped to help your student process the experience they have just had. We would also like to suggest that this printed material be handed to significant others so that many of your family are all working together to make the students growth and transition as smooth and possible. We have started the debriefing process aimed at helping prepare our students for some of the emotions and reactions that they most probably will experience in the coming days and weeks. It is a longer journey than we can hope to finish whilst away so we want to help you feel equipped to take up the supporting role that is needed at this time. It is our hope and prayer that you all enjoy the new person that is rejoining your home.

Our hope in running this Philippines trip is to further equip these young people to became ‘extra-ordinary’ adults, and to grow a healthy ‘others’ mindedness. We also would like to assist families to pull together to share one another’s lives as we see this as vital in teaching all the children that move through Rehoboth Christian College. 

If at any time you feel like you need some assistance with your students re-entry please make contact with the college to arrange a chat or meeting with Chaplin Andy Price.

Re-Entry Stress 
Definition:
Re-entry stress is like culture shock in many ways - only in reverse. While culture shock is associated with a sense of disorientation brought on by a new and unfamiliar environment, re-entry stress is precipitated by returning to a setting you presume to be familiar, but which in reality is no longer the same because you have changed.

It is the unexpected nature and subtlety of such change that will cause stress for your student. Your once familiar and comfortable environment no longer appears the same. Something definitely has changed. But you don't easily recognise just what has been altered.

Suddenly you find yourself out of phase with your own culture. Your reaction may come in the form of bewilderment, dismay, disillusionment and perhaps even irritation or anger. Somehow, "things are just not the way they used to be.", "nobody seems to care.", "nobody really understands.".

There are several contributing factors to re-entry stress. One is that you are being caught by surprise - you do not anticipate change and consequently are unprepared to cope. Another factor is value conflict. Your values, once taken for granted and even highly cherished, now seem of lesser significance or of little importance at all. Your way of thinking, your manner and your responses to many situations have been changing. Often these changes are not apparent until you are back in your own culture.


Common symptoms and effects of re-entry stress

1. Disorientation - feeling out of place, not fitting in

2. Feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being lost in the crowd

3. Restlessness - a desire to "get away" from those who don't seem to understand or care

4. Feeling that nobody understands your experience or that nobody cares

5. Feeling tired, listless

6. Critical attitude toward home country - its waste, extravagance, wrong way of doing things, etc.

7. Loss of identity - just "another cog in a big wheel"

8. Inability to communicate new ideas, concepts freely

9. Feeling of superiority - standing aloof from others because of your overseas experience

10. Feeling of dissatisfaction

11. Defensive in responses

12. Retreat, withdrawal, lack of concern

13. Unnatural, uncomfortable responses to "ordinary" situations

14. Confusion over conflicting attitudes and responses

15. Rejection of overseas experiences or a desire to forget and not talk about them


Basic Debriefing Tips for Family and Friends 

1. Listen, listen, and listen some more.
Student  will have many emotionally laden stories to tell. The most loving response family and friends can have is to sit regularly, without time constraints, and listen until all the stories have been told (and re-told). One great way to spend time unpacking the trip for your student is to spend time with them over this blog and/or their Personal Journal. Move through day at a time, the stories will flow and will really help your student to feel heard and understood.


2. Expect the student to be a different person.

Global experiences change a person. Encounters with poverty, a new culture, inability to communicate in an unknown language, and being an ethnic minority possibly for the first time will alter the way your student views and interacts with the world, including you and your family. Seek to discover the changes in your student and help him/her to make adjustments to living in Australia. Also allow the changes in your student to bring changes in your family, if your student has grown, then your family will have to grow to make it meaningful. Also your student may be experiencing grief at saying goodbye to people with whom they have connected. 

3. Help the student find places to share his/her story.
Encourage returning students to speak at gatherings and help them to make contact with churches, youth groups and any other groups that would be interested in hearing about their experience. If a student does not like to speak in public, encourage him/her to invite family and friends over for small gatherings where stories and pictures from the trip can be shared.

4. Help students in their church and youth groups for service by encouraging them to:
a. Learn more about the nation they have just visited as well as any other nation they have on their heart

b. Commit to giving financially a regular portion of what they earn (a regular and defined portion assist people to fit their personal changes into regular life without it being forgotten or producing a fanatic) 

c. Consider planning the next year so that a similar trip can be taken soon

d. Study the Bible for, and lead Bible studies about, God’s heart for the nations 

e. Mobilise fellow students and friends to consider giving time and money to international mission service. 

Between Two Worlds: Returning Home 
Dr. Miriam Adeney, a Christian anthropologist, tells her students that they "will never be able to go ‘home’ again. They will probably always leave part of themselves behind, and thereafter will be split. And home may be in more than one place. But that is the price they pay for the richness of having experienced more than one culture deeply."


Some suggestions for Christian Families:

1. Help your student to find other returnees (short-term volunteers, missionaries) with whom you can share and have fellowship.

2. Give your student time to readjust. Be patient.

3. Recognise and accept which transition stage your student is going through, and remember that "reverse culture shock" or "re-entry shock" is a normal part of the process of returning home.

4. Encourage your student to have a good sense of humour. Be aware, though, that your student could feel that you are laughing at him/her and the mission experience if you make too light of their experience or feelings.

5. Use this time of re-entry as a growing process for your family to learn about your student, the people group/culture in which your student served, and how you can continue to minister to the people group from home. Re-entry provides an opportunity for you and your family to become bi-cultural or multi-cultural people.

6. Express to your student what God has done in your life and your family's life during your student's time in another country. Possibly the changes God prompted were the result of your student serving internationally.

7. Help your student find opportunities to share the story of his/her international mission service. Examples of this can be a church service, Sunday School classes, or other groups.

8. Help your student learn to tell his or her story well. There are many tips to help people effectively tell their stories, please spend some time researching these.

9. Review the most significant changes that have occurred while your student was gone on mission. Talk through the events and changes, show pictures and videos of events, if possible, and discuss the implications of those events and changes on your student's future.

10. Talk with your student about his/her great expectations in returning home. How relevant and realistic are they? What are steps your student can take, and your family can take, to meet the realistic expectations?

11. Keep a clear perspective and remember that God is with you!


Conflicting Values -  Student Tips

Preoccupation with materialism
Back in Australia, the desire for material comforts and possessions is a dominant theme. Are you prepared to face this fact if you are returning from a culture where people are content with little or have only the basic necessities of life? Has your sensitivity to basic human needs been heightened by your experiences abroad? What response might you have to affluence, waste or overindulgence?

Suggestions:

1. Do not be quick to condemn; realize that others have not had the same exposure to another way of life. Their preoccupation with "their world" as they know it is only natural.

2. Be prepared for a sensory bombardment if you are accustomed to simplicity in choice and lifestyle. An overabundance of goods, choices, etc. can overwhelm you at first.

3. Expect others to not fully understand how you feel when their "materialistic ways" strike you as sinful.

Doing things the "best" way
This is often referred to as ethnocentrism. It's only natural that every culture values its ways. Is bigger, better, faster and more accurate really best? Do other cultures have something to offer us? Expect to receive blank stares or an air of disapproval from your compatriots if you question traditional ways.

Suggestions:

1. Be on the alert for a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Do not be too quick to judge others for their ethnocentric stance or to think that your way is the best way.

2. Share your perspectives, but at the same time avoid becoming involved in arguments . Do not allow yourself to withdraw or refuse to discuss matters because of opposition.

Personal worth and recognition
Possibly one of the most difficult areas to address is personal fulfilment. Your questions may include: Was my service valuable? Will anyone recognise my contribution or my sacrifice? Will I be just another fish in a big pond? What will the situation be like upon my return? Quite likely you are returning from a position where you were the focus of attention, where you felt needed, accepted and loved.

Suggestions:

1. Do not expect to be in the limelight for long after your return. Some may ask to see your pictures, have you speak, etc., but soon you will be back to your "ordinary citizen" status.

2. Realize that your worth and recognition comes first from God. View your service as service to Him, not something with which to gain recognition and praise from others.

3. Do not allow yourself to feel hurt or sorry for yourself when people do not notice you or your service. God does. Look for ways to meet others' needs; this will help you take the focus off yourself (Phil. 2:3-4).

Day 9 - Team Toby: Toby, Hannah, Josh, Courtney, Ebony

This morning it was quite bizarre to think that we basically only have a weekend left here in the Philippines. It does not feel like Saturday, let alone feel like we have actually been here for nine days already! This morning we all woke up at 7, had breakfast and prepared for a double rotation of construction. Half of us headed off to Josie’s Angels new home, and pulled vines off a fence/wall, scrubbed down and sanded the basketball court wall before painting it the first coat of dazzling white. The other group headed over to the mango property (or school) and made concrete BY HAND!!! Luckily we had John and Josh who set about mixing it for us as we all brought the sand and blue metal, and then poured it. We all had a quick merriander before heading back for the second rotation, where the group doing concrete changed to throwing wood off the third storey and then pulling all the nails out of it., whether by the three hammers available or by my most awesome chunk of concrete, to push the nails back through the wood.

At 12 we all headed back home (to the ministry centre) for lunch and an hour break, to catch up on journals (much needed by almost everyone) or to catch up on sleep for those who weren’t feeling well (or Leon who can sleep anywhere!) We then headed over to the children’s home and watched a little tv, sung, and played soccer with them. After playing with all the kids for a while we headed next door to the ministry centre to play volleyball in an Aussie vs Canadian/Filipino game, we ended up playing about six/seven games and unfortunately were defeated each time, because we were playing on concrete (As of course we all play beach volleyball)… but we had FUN! J

We eventually headed back to the ministry centre and had a mas masarup dinner, and spent the next hour preparing for the devotion at the children’s home. Team 2 did a play on the walls of Jericho, which everyone loved, and the kids finished the devotions off with 2 songs for us, Here I am to worship, and the fruit of the spirit, including a coconut and banana. Afterwards we gave them our gift of pens from ‘world of fun’ and we sat for half an hour watching tv with them, and chatting to them. Most of them realised that we are leaving soon and it was so hard to watch them writing their names for us, and writing notes and pictures, and asking us not to forget them. It was especially hard as we realised that tomorrow we would have to say goodbye to them, and a few of us were already struggling not to cry.

After leaving the children’s home we all piled in the cars and headed towards our mystery evening activity which turned out to be the movies. We were all quite excited to just sit for two hours and relax a little in some air-conditioning. Yet we soon found out that there were four tagalog movies playing yet only two English movies, meaning we had to choose, and ended up watching ‘breaking dawn.’ Enjoyed by some, but not so much appreciated by others. Amazingly we all stayed awake, and didn’t get home until quarter to 12, meaning that we didn't get into bed until after 12.

We’d just like to let you all know that this is possibly the second last time that we will post, as we are flying out to KL tomorrow morning, and will then see you all on Tuesday, and will be able to let you all know our experiences in person!!! I’d also like to remind you all to pick us up from the airport at 2:30/3 (due to customs) on Tuesday 11/12/12 as we would actually like to see you all!!! Love and hugs and kisses to all, and we’ll see you all in a couple of days!

Day 8-Friday 

Team 3-Ashleigh, Katie, Steph, Meg and John.

Our apologies for the delay in posting. It seems the only thing we feel like doing when we get back is sleeping!

We started by splitting up into two groups. Group 1 went next-door to the Library where we spent time reading and being read to by the kids from the local school. It was really great to spend this quality time with them and we were amazed with how well most could read. Meanwhile, Group 2 (Steph, Katie, Erin, Meg, Hannah and Sarah) ventured up the road to the Hope Centre which is a birthing clinic. This clinic provides support and education for pregnant women and young mothers of the local community. While we were there we tried to bless them by massaging and washing their feet and painting their toe nails. We all failed with painting their nails but nothing felt greater than seeing their smiles on their faces. Time was also spent helping set up their Christmas party and handing out gifts to expecting mothers.  In the meantime, Group 1 also travelled an hour away to do a feeding program in a local slum.  It was one of the most intense feeding we've done and it was really heartbreaking to see how desperate some of the kids were getting as we prepared to leave. We wish we could just stay here for so much longer but its just not possible. We are grateful however, that we have had this chance to do what we can.

This challenging but rewarding morning was too quickly followed by a trip down into the Pit of Despair. After a year of hard work from many different people, we had the "privilege" of removing the last truckload of mud (and other matter) from the pit. It was hard work for our small group especially as there were kids playing in the finished part of the pool. There were also a number of casualties including Toby's pants... As the last bucket was shovelled we couldn't have felt better.


After a chance to rest, we had an early dinner before heading up the hill to Faith Academy to watch an incredibly intense basketball game. It felt like we were in America.

Following the game, we discovered our night activity was in fact a trip to the local World of Fun i.e Timezone. To our delight we discovered the gear stick on the car racing machines were configured for right hand drivers! At the end we combined all our prize tickets including the ones Ashleigh won in a dance-off (DDR) against a very young and eager local boy! These tickets enabled us to collect 35 animal topped pens which we will give to the children at the home Saturday night.  The staff were very gracious willing to staying behind after they closed to count all our tickets. (1500approx) The night ended with a trip to Starbuck where we also did our daily debrief.

Please keep us all in your prayers as we near the end of our journey as we are starting to feel fatigued. Despite this, we are all still eager to stay and continue working with those here.


God bless

Day 6 & 7

Day 6 –Wednesday

Team 2- Erin, Leon, Phoebe and Chelsea

After another beautiful long sleep we kicked off the day with a community basketball game, (Australia vs the Philippines) at the ministry school court. Our team (consisting of all the boys and a couple of girls from Southern Hills and Rehoboth) won, but the game was very evenly matched. For those who didn’t play the game, the 200+ children of the school came to watch and we got to spend time talking and taking pictures with them. Cameras were very popular and the children were very exited, cheering for every single goal no matter which team scored it. The constant happiness and joy of the kids in the community never stops blessing us.

We headed back to the Yun Jin centre and had merriander, cinnamon cake that was incredibly delicious!  The ladies that provide us with food, are amazing cooks!
Right after we indulged in mouth-watering cake, we headed to the building site from yesterday with Southern Hills to take a group photo of our very proud slab of concrete that we all worked incredibly hard on, pouring our sweat and strength to accomplish it. Immediately after a few pictures, we walked to the children’s home, but we didn’t end up able to play with the children as they were either at school or having a nap. So instead we spent the time helping Nanna Yoli and Veronica clean and tidy the centre.

We then headed back to the ministry centre for some lunch and met up with Daisy. She offered to show us around her ministry area at the natal clinic. Hannah, Katie, Sarah and Erin put up their hands. We were given a tour of the centre then able to pack some Christmas gift packs for Fridays Christmas party that will be held there for the women on Friday. The whole group met up at the construction site for a building rotation together. We smashed out 65 buckets of blue metal and 200 (and something) bricks before slogging it on hoisting a few 100 buckets of dirt up a “Filippino style” scaffolding to the third floor of the new school building. In the last 5 mins we gave the southern hills guys a run for their money by carrying 102 buckets of dirt up the scaffolding. There were a few injuries with Sarah getting gazed by a flying brick and Hannah coming out with a war wound after a fight with the scaffolding.

We came back to the ministry centre to have a quick shower, and have an awesome dindins of pork on a spit (head and all!). After dinner we went to the children’s home for devotions. It was Southern Hills last night in the Philippines (hence the feasting) so their were plenty of tears on their part :( Team three was on devotions and did a skit on Luke 11:9.

For the night activity we road on trikes and walked through the streets to a supermarket. We were given some monies and told we could buy random food that we wanted to try. Which consisted of… Hershey’s ice-cream, kisses, wafer sticks, yellow watermelon, milo in-a-can, purple cake etc. Mr price chose dried dilis fish for everyone to try. We passed them around the group and while some gagged other found them tasty, and ate 22 at once (YUK). We all headed off to bed early after saying goodbye to the southern hill’s kids. It’s been great getting to know and experiencing the past week alongside them.

PS. All those who were wondering if we were affected by the typhoon; it passed by us in the south and all we got was a little drizzle and overcast weather (which just made construction a whole lot easier).

PPS. So far, Erin has recovered from gastro. However, Courtney is currently sick with it. Apart from minor colds and lime burns from concrete, every one is well.

Day 7 –Thursday

Team 2 again:)

Today we woke up at an all time record of 4:30. We dragged ourselves out of bed and on to the beautiful coach for a trip Pansangan Falls (that may not be correct but we are tired!). The 2 hour trip was mostly spent sleeping and shivering in the cold air-con but when we arrived we immediately got into our life jackets and helmets for a two hour canoe up the picturesque river. We were split into groups of three and had two Filipino men ninja-ing us up the river! It was an excellent experience seeing the high sky tropical plantations and the natural waterfalls trickle down from the heavens. And we were all in awe at how great our God is!

After our adventure up the river, we finally reached our destination, which was going under a massive waterfall and swimming in a cave. We then had lunch midway back to the coach and also took a quick boat ride. The ride home was a swift two hour drive, where most of us spent catching up on sleep, and arrived at the ministry centre to have an hour and a half free time.

Then we went on a feeding, where we not only feed them hot food but also played basketball, made balloon animals and created bracelets, and skipped with the children. Immediately after that, we had dinner and went to the children’s home. Many of us felt sad that we will be leaving in three days, as we will definitely miss the children.

Our night activity was karaoke, where everyone belted out their favourite classics and was accompanied by a epic view of the city of Manila.

Thanks for all the prayers and encouragements, sorry that we haven’t been able to reply to many of the comments as we haven’t had time. 

Day 5

Day 5 –Tuesday

Team 1- Josh, Hannah, Courtney, Ebony, Toby

After two days of very early starts today we were finally able to “sleep in” to 7. We knew a long day of building was ahead as we planned to lay the slab of a third floor children’s play area. In addition some of the team helped to plaster a classroom. It was good to have Erin back in action after a bout of gastro.

We started at 8 in the morning and the first part of the construction was making the concrete. This required carting buckets of sand, blue metal, and bags of cement toward the mixer. The concrete was bucketed and transferred along a construction line, up three levels of scaffolding and then poured. The buckets were thrown down and the process started again. We only stopped for Merriander (smoko) and lunch.

At three, the Rehobothians were told to drop the buckets and we were going to attend a feeding program for a local squatters village in Angono. We were told that the food was generally for the kids of the community. We walked the streets (the ones that weren’t knee deep in water) of the squatter’s village announcing the hot food as available. It was great to see the excitement on all the kids’ faces as they ran to grab their bowls, cups, containers and friends. One local woman was particularly impressed/ entertained with Josh’s Gangnam Style. As the food ran out the kids became desperate to get to the front of the line and it was heartbreaking to have to say “Sorry there’s none left.”  In addition we had some fun with the kids making asos and ispadas (dogs and swords) with balloons and creating constructions with pipe cleaners.

We returned home for a mas masarap dinner and were told of our night activity; a pedicure and manicure for the girls from the “House of Amos” (and a full salon that resides in the Yun Jin Ministry Centre), and for the dudes to ease our pain and discomfort from the days work. First though, our night duties at the children’s home called for Team 2 to put on a puppet show, using the left over pipe cleaners and balloons, of Noah in the big fish (Chelsea could not draw a whale and “the bible actually doesn’t say it was a whale”). We returned from our various treatments in a rested condition and ready for a good night’s sleep.

Day 4 (Team 3- John, Stephanie, Ashleigh, Katie, Meg)

Today was a chance to recharge after four intense days, although it started at 5am after a very late night, we began with a quick breakfast and then set off on our three hour trek to the island of Corregidor. It was great to see a different side to the Philippines with the more tropical picturesque scenery and the rich history and tradition that stems from many wars and many different nations having ownership. Its hard to believe that the Philippines has only had its independence for just under 70 years!

We arrived by boat to the island and were immediately divided into groups and given different buses. With the help of Pol, our tour guide; our knowledge of the history of the war and of the Filipino people was deepened.  

A few highlights of our tour were:

1. Seeing Monkeys!

2. Pol the Tour Guide was a real jokester.

3. All the weapons and bunkers were MASSIVE.

4. The massive tunnel that was built to protect the soldiers and was also used as a hospital.

5. The Japanese war memorials to commemorate both sides of the story. Pol said we should love our enemies as well as our friends.

6. Great lunch at Hotel Corregidor.

7. The Jungle.

8. Standing at the statue of General MacArthur and learning the story of his return to the Island.

We then proceeded home where we got to lead the children's home bedtime devotions and we got to read to the kids and create new bonds and friendships with these loving, friendly children.

We went for a swim and had a water basketball competition where Rehoboth lost a tough battle to Southern Hills 8 - 9. (Although they severely outnumbered us!)

Keep us in your prayers, as we spend the next few days in intense and extensive physical work.

Via Con Dios "Go with God"

Day 3

Day 3 (Team 2: Erin, Phoebe, Chelsea, and Leon.)

Magandang Gabi! (Good evening!)

We just ended day three in Manila. Everyone woke up at 5:30am, we were all sore from the day before from some hardcore shovelling to build a swimming pool and a basketball court. All in all everyone got out of bed and had to quickly scoff breakfast consisting of egg and toast. We got to Faith Acadamy (which was 5 mins from the centre) to host a street soccer tournament. We got there way too early, so we waited for approximately an hour for the teams to arrive. There were about 10 teams, aged from 12- 16+. We even had the opportunity to play against one of the best Philippine's soccer adult mens teams. Our guys team lost 2 - 5.

One of the highlights were from the girls soccer team as Rehoboth and Southern Hills got to join in the League action and actually ended up winning the girls tournament. We will be bringing home a very OVERSIZED trophy!

We also had an opportunity to talk to and feed the kids today and we also learned a lot of new words in Tagalog. Such as "Mabootay", which sounds funny and means: "I'm Good". We also learned how to say Nice to meet you which is: "Kinagagalakkitang Makilala". 

After that we scoffed down dinner in a hurry and went straight to a HUGE mega church in a mall in Manila where a couple Thousand people attend. The music and preaching was really encouraging. It talked about maintaing your convictions and not letting your relationship get watered down by compromise and rationalising sin. We then proceeded to Jollibee which is like Mcdonalds but way cheaper. 

Tommorow we are heading to Coriggidor to learn about the history of the Japanese invasion on the Philippines. We will be on the boat and bus all day and we leave at 5am which means we need to stop typing and go to bed. Much love from the Equator...  

Day 1 & 2

Group 1 (Team Toby): Hannah, Courtney, Joshua, Ebony and Toby

WE ARRIVED!!!!! After some very questionable plane food, a stop over in Kuala Lumpur, our very casual stroll through customs and getting our coveted stamp on our new passports we arrived at Manila Airport. The humidity of the Philippines did not hit us as bad as we first expected … it has now. We travelled/ merged/ beeped our way through the city with some of the most amazing driving skills known to man (yet they seem to lose it all when migrating to Australia).  “Uncle Jeff”, the founder of the Yun Jin Ministry Centre, gave us a tour of the local community and we were repeatedly greeted with “Hello, What’s your name” and many high fives by the local children (we want to steal one). By this stage we had been awake for 36 hours straight and still had a trip to the local children’s home, a debrief, a trip to mystery location, aka Starbucks where we spent time making fun at Mr Price’s accent … “CLOOOOOOTHEZZZZZZZZZZZ”.

After some muchly appreciated sleep we awoke at 7 and got straight into work shovelling some very questionable “mud” from the “Pit of Despair”, the 4 meter dive pool that the Rehoboth/ Southern Hills 2011 Trip started and we are hoping to finish this time.

We walked up to the local Children’s home and played with some adorable kids in their amazing cubby house. Meanwhile the Southern Hills students packed the supplies they had bought the night before with the money they had raised by shaving Pastor Pete’s hair off.

Our next construction job was laying a whole heap of concrete that will eventually become a half court basketball court. The cooks provided us with some great meals, including Banana Spring Rolls YUM!

After yummy food we took the supplies Southern Hills had packed to give out to the people at the trash mountain community. Those that where poorest in the community, were given a ticket by the local pastor and were able to collect their supply packs. The living conditions of these people were something that shocked us all and a hot topic at tonight’s debriefing. We all found it heart wrenching when kids, mothers with babies etc, would come up to us begging to a bag of food and we couldn’t give it to them. As we were being led through the maze of houses stacked on top of each other, handing out bags, we came to the end of a meter-wide ally way/drain (sewage run-off), which turned out to be a family’s living room / bedroom / kitchen / bathroom / home. This exposed us new level of poverty that we had not yet experienced.

At the debriefing Mr Price gave a devotion about the “True Vine” and how that relates to us being here.

Tomorrow we’re running a soccer tournament for the extended local community. The day starts at 5:30am, so we’re signing off now. Stay turned for photos and continued updates.

PS We’re sorry for the delay in posting this update. We were experiencing some problems with the internet connection. Thank you for all your comments. We hope we’ve answered most of your queries. Shout outs will start tomorrow. And so will pictures.

PPS To Mrs Nickels we hope the Thermomixing went well :P

Introduction

Welcome to Rehoboth Christian College's blog for the Philippines Mission Trip 2012.

We will be travelling via KL to Manila where we will help serve the Filipino people through building projects, feeding programs, tutoring in school and helping out at the local orphanage. Our students will also experience some Filipino culture, participate in sport and visit the WW2 military base in Corregidore.

We will post each evening during the trip where possible. We look forward to reading your comments and most of all your prayers throughout this trip.